Torp last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Torp is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Torp.

Meaning of Torp

A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a small hill or knoll.

Torp, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Torp surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Torp in America

Torp is the 49999th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Torp surname appeared 419 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Torp.

We can also compare 2010 data for Torp to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 49999 51119 -2.22%
Count 419 383 8.98%
Proportion per 100k 0.14 0.14 0.00%

The history of the last name Torp

The surname Torp has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, derived from the Old Norse word "torp," which refers to a small farmstead or hamlet. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived in or were associated with such a settlement.

Torp is a relatively common surname in Norway and Sweden, indicating its long-standing presence in these regions. It is documented in various historical records, including the Norwegian Farm Censuses of the 16th and 17th centuries, where it appears in various spellings such as Torp, Torpp, and Thorpe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torp can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents. In this collection, a person named Thorbiorn a Torp is mentioned in a document dated 1343.

In Sweden, the surname Torp has been traced back to the 15th century, with records showing individuals bearing this name in various regions, including Västergötland and Småland.

Notable historical figures with the surname Torp include:

  1. Jens Torp (1618-1680), a Norwegian clergyman and poet who served as the Bishop of Stavanger.
  2. Erik Torp (1854-1895), a Norwegian scholar and linguist known for his contributions to the study of Indo-European languages.
  3. Olav Torp (1891-1969), a Norwegian businessman and politician who served as the Minister of Trade and Industry in Norway.
  4. Sigurd Torp (1903-1992), a Norwegian architect known for his modernist designs, including the Oslo City Hall.
  5. Arne Torp (born 1942), a Norwegian novelist and playwright, renowned for his works exploring themes of identity and social issues.

It is worth noting that the name Torp has also been associated with various place names in Scandinavia, such as Torp in Båhuslen, Sweden, and Torp in Vestfold, Norway, further reinforcing its connection to the Old Norse word "torp" and its geographical origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Torp

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Torp.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Torp was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.90% 406
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.91% 8
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Torp has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.90% 95.56% 1.39%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 1.31% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 1.91% 1.83% 4.28%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Torp was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Torp, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Torp last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 18, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/torp-surname-popularity/.

"Torp last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/torp-surname-popularity/. Accessed 18 May, 2025

Torp last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/torp-surname-popularity/.

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